We thought carefully about every feature while we were designing our cup. The most important issue of all was safety. So it’s not surprising that the first thing people ask us is, “How come the cap is plastic?” The answer is simple: No child (or adult, for that matter) wants to suck on a stainless steel straw. It hurts our teeth just thinking about it.

We did the next best thing. We kept contact between water and plastic to a minimum, and we insisted that all our plastics be certified free of Bisphenol A, phthalates and DEHA. We pay for extensive independent laboratory testing on our cups to make sure they are free of these chemicals. Lastly, we make our cap out of Polypropylene, #5 plastic. PP is the most stable of all plastics.

We also took into consideration the fun stuff, like hands - little hands, messy hands, hands that can`t quite hold onto big things yet; the developing mouths and speech abilities of growing infants; children`s desire to look at bright, colorful objects; children`s propensity for turning food delivery systems into projectiles...and other stuff as well.

The Safe Sippy™ stainless steel drink cup was created in response to the growing body of emerging scientific evidence about the dangers of toxic chemicals used to make many plastics. We chose stainless steel because it is clean, stable and durable. Because stainless steel is stable and inert, it does not interact with the foods and fluids it comes into contact with. So what you put in is what you get out.

When plastic is heated – in the dishwasher, microwave or even in a hot car – chemicals leach out of the plastic into our foods. The entire list of negative health effects associated with these chemicals is too long to cover here, and The Safe Sippy™ stainless steel cup is only one small step in stemming their flow. But it is well known that chemicals such as Bisphenol A [BPA], DEHA and the class of chemicals known as phthalates have the most damaging effects on little bodies that are still developing. The list of health problems associated with these substances is long and growing. They include: developmental problems; ADHD; premature sexual maturation in young females; breast tumors in women; particularly virulent forms of prostate cancer; reproductive problems in both sexes; learning disabilities; kidney damage; liver cancer and much more.


ABOUT PLASTICS CHEMICALS

Bisphenol A (BPA). A chemical used to make plastic shatterproof, BPA mimics the human hormone estrogen and has been linked to a number of serious health issues, including: early onset of puberty and sexual maturation in females; changes in gender-specific behaviors; ADHD; breast tumors; decreased testosterone; decreased sperm production; learning disabilities; and prostate cancer.

DEHA. A “plasticizer” (plastic softener), DEHA exposure is linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and weight. It is also a possible human carcinogen that attacks the liver.

Phthalates. Another “plasticizer” used to soften plastics, phthalates have been shown to disrupt hormonal balances. In 2005 the European Parliament partially or totally banned six separate phthalates for use in children’s toys. Phthalates have been linked to cancer, dramatic changes in male sexual characteristics when exposure takes place in utero (during pregnancy), premature breast development in young girls and lowered sperm count in males.